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Speech on Caste System in India (1289 Words)

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Speech on Caste System in India!

The Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) together are considered backward and form more than two-third of the total population of India. The OBCs are entitled to special provisions in education and employment.

Unlike the SCs and the STs, they are not given the privilege of political representation through reserved constitu­encies. How do we define the category ‘backward classes’? Castes and occupations are two structural criteria which we may use to define the term ‘backward classes’.

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In terms of caste, rank and occupation, the backward classes were higher than the SCs in the caste hierarchy. In terms of caste hierarchy, the backward classes would have intermediate agricul­tural and functionary (clean) castes.

Andre Beteille (1965) considers peasant castes as the core of the backward classes. The backward classes have certainly been far behind the upper castes in education, professions and government jobs. They are also at a lower rung in the caste hierarchy. One view is that those who belonged to the Shudra varna could be considered as the backward classes. Ritually also, the backward classes have been considered inferior to the ‘twice-born’ castes.

The name ‘backward classes’ implies that there are also ‘forward classes’, and this is why in Bihar people are identified as ‘backward’ and ‘forward’. The ‘forwards’ look down upon the ‘backwards’. The Backward Classes Movement in Bihar gained currency in the late 1970s, particularly in 1977 when the Janata Party formed government at the Centre and in various states. Karpoori Thakur, who belonged to a backward caste, was Bihar’s chief minister in 1977.

Caste and agriculture are closely related in India. The higher castes have traditionally large landholdings. The lower castes work as landless agricultural labourers. The intermediate castes are the principal agricultural castes in terms of actual cultivation. The OBCs are highly differentiated in terms of caste and economic status.

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The well-off OBCs are known as ‘upper backward’, and the poor ones are named as ‘lower/most backward’. Thus, the OBCs are not homogeneous in terms of both caste and agricultural pursuits. However, the situation has changed considerably since independence in regard to both the criteria, namely, caste and occupation. Caste-based distinctions do not have a place in the Constitution of India. Segregation based on caste is an offence.

Land reforms have given an opportunity to the backward classes to make a claim of ownership of the land which they cultivated as tenants. Adult franchise has generated consciousness for political mobilisation and participation.

The fact, however, is that the backward classes are still culturally, socially and economically backward, and therefore, they have started movements for their upliftment and for a greater share in education, employment and decision-making.

The term ‘backward classes’ has been used for the weaker sections of society, particularly the SCs, the STs and the OBCs. The term has also been used to designate any other backward classes. In the beginning, after India’s independence, the term ‘backward classes’ had a less fixed and definite reference. It has had a variety of referents. Earlier, the term depressed classes’ was used for the untouchables’ and other backward groups. It is certainly a fact that the backward classes are above the ex-untouchable groups and below the twice-born castes.

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They need special protection and help for their economic and social upliftment. We find references to this term in 1917-18, but it was more specifically used in 1930-31. In 1937, the State of Travancore used the term ‘backward communi­ties’ to include all educationally and economically backward communities. But, in the Madras Presidency, the term ‘backward classes’ was used to refer to the strata above the untouchables. In 1934, the Madras Provincial Backward Classes League was founded.

The ‘backward classes’ in Madras Presidency included more than a hundred communities, and comprised of 50 per cent of the total population. Thus, the term ‘backward classes’ had no uniform meaning at the national level. There was no all-India organisation of the backward classes.

In 1948, it was visualised that a Backward Classes Commission be appointed to go through the whole of the country to find out which castes of Hindus, Muslims, etc., were really backward according to certain standards – educational, social, economic, etc. The Commission was supposed to find out the difficulties under which they worked and to make recommendations as to the steps that should be taken by the Union or any state to remove such diffi­culties and improve their condition. The Commission was actually appointed in 1953.

The University Education Commission (1948-49) also recom­mended reservation of a certain proportion of seats for students belonging to the backward communities. In 1947, the Bihar government made provisions for other backward classes in post-matriculation studies. In 1951, the Government of Bihar announced a list of backward classes. The list contained the names of various castes, which constituted 60 per cent of the state’s population.

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In 1948, the Government of Uttar Pradesh gave educa­tional concessions to other backward classes. A list of 56 castes was prepared, which covered 65 per cent of the population. Thus, even before the implementation of the Constitution, the notion of backward classes existed referring to the groups between the top and the bottom strata of society based on their economic and educational backwardness.

Several backward classes’ organisations emerged in late 1940s. The Bihar State Backward Classes Federation was founded in 1947. In 1954, there were 88 organisations working for the backward classes in 15 states. Seventy-four of these were named after specific castes and fourteen functioned, in general, on a regional or local basis.

The All India Backward Classes Federation was formed in 1950. A national federation was also formed. Lists of backward classes were prepared by the state governments. The list in Karnataka included Muslims, Christians, Jains and several groups other than Brahmanas. However, the lists in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra did not include the higher non-Brahmana castes.

Backwardness is considered as an attribute of a group and not of an individual. Membership of these backward classes is deter­mined by birth like all other caste groups. In common parlance, backward classes may include some individuals who are educa­tionally and economically well off. Since some castes have been designated as ‘backward’ by the government, they are entitled to get certain benefits and facilities. The backward classes are, thus, a large and complex constellation of groups and individuals.

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Since we are here concerned with the backward classes who are, in effect, intermediate castes in between the SCs and the upper castes, we do not refer to the term ‘backward classes’ in a broad sense. The backward classes are backward because they have been lagging behind in education, government services, professions, business, etc. However, in the recent years, they have advanced in economic and political fields.

Generally, the OBCs are small landowners depending mainly on agriculture for their livelihood. Numerically, they are preponderant, but they are not a monolithic group – socially, culturally and economically. According to the Mandal Commission, the OBCs constitute nearly 52 per cent of India’s population. The Mandal Commission was formed in 1978 by the Janata Party government under the chairmanship of B.P. Mandal.

The Constitution of India mentions the backward classes as being “socially and educationally backward classes of citizens”. Article 340 authorises the President of India to appoint a Commission to investigate and report on the conditions of the backward classes in different parts of the country.

The state govern­ments also, under Articles 15(4) and 161, can appoint commissions to look into the social and educational problems of different backward castes, and can also make reservations in educational institutions and government services based on the findings of such commissions. The criteria of backwardness differ from state to state as no all-India index of backwardness exists.